Taisho Love Story
Final Chapter: “Where it ends...“ (part 2)

”Otousama…” she uttered, remembering the bluish face he had, how he gazed blankly into space and lay in the futon without saying a word. “What happened to you…?”

Without another thought, the little girl climbed out of the futon and tiptoed out of the room. She went down the moonlit hall, which echoed the sounds from outside. Her heart pounding, she went towards her father’s den.

‘Even though Otousama is home… Even though he returned like he said he would… I feel… I feel that Otousama is…’

She pulled open the door and called out in a small voice, “Otousama…?” She saw his form lying in the dark room and started to move towards him. “It’s me… Sakura… Welcome home… I… I was worried…”

She knelt down at his side, gazing at the motionless face; his eyes still open and a deep red. “Otousama?” she asked, taking his cold hand in hers. “Please speak to me…”

In the corner, Yoneda had been trying to keep awake. His vision was blurred but he could hear the girl’s voice. ‘Kazuma has been back for a long while now… But he cannot move, eat, or speak… His spirit is completely crushed. There’s nothing I can do for my friend… Nothing I can do but watch him fade away…’

“Otousama… please…!” Sakura sobbed, holding the limp hand to her face, “I know I said I wouldn’t cry… I promised… I’m so sorry… I wanted to be stronger… like you… But I can’t… I just wanted to have you back… I’m sorry…!”

The hand suddenly gripped tightly, Sakura opened her eyes. ‘Otousama…’ She could see the difficulty he was having, trying hold onto her small hand.

‘They were wrong…’ Yoneda noted, as he focused on the scene before him, ‘The one designated to give all his strength in disabling the present danger of darkness… The one who resets Time… Whose life was met only for that final moment… He has found the last bit of strength – to give to his most precious person…’

“Otousama… I’m tired too,” Sakura leaning her head against the hand resting on her lap, “Let’s rest for now… I want to tell you so many things… But right now, I want to rest my eyes…”

Yoneda got up and walked over to the two, as Sakura drifted off to sleep. ‘Kazuma… You idiot… Why only now… You realize…’

When Sakura woke the next morning, she was leaning her head near her father’s shoulder. Her mother and the doctor were in the room, making a fuss. Not understanding what was going on, she looked to her mother for answers.

“Otousama is sleeping, right?”

But only tears came.

“Right? Otousama is going to wake up… Right??”

The doctor moved away from the body, slowly shaking his head. He then pulled the cloth over his face. The child still didn’t understand, her eyes filling with tears just by seeing her mother in tears. Wakana just grabbed the girl, sobbing into her hair and holding her tightly. Yoneda watched all this from the door.

‘…That your life is your own…’

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After the funeral, Yoneda returned from leave, back to Teito to file his report to Hanakoji. Even though the disaster was recently, recovery forces had already made the scene appear as though the war hadn’t happened. Teito was quickly moving passed that dark day without another thought.

‘It’s sad… People’s blood, people’s life laid down… And no one even knew… Does anyone care…? The minutes, the days, the seasons, and years… it all keeps passing. Does anyone every look around at what is lost…?’

Yoneda looked up at the empty lot that used to be his home. He dropped his head, his hat lowered over his eyes as he walked down that busy street in Ginza.

‘What is lost… cannot return again…’

“Yoneda-kun,” Hanakoji had noticed that he was being quiet the whole time. They walked side by side, having examining the area and on their way to a luncheon. “You don’t seem very healthy… It’s because of Kazuma-kun’s death, isn’t it?”

”Kazuma… he was my best friend… Of course I feel sad…”

”And for Shinnosuke-kun, too.”

Yoneda put on a half smile. “That guy… He only lived half his life. To me, he was just a baby. To see him go after all he had yet to go through… It’s the saddest thing of all.”

”I had high hopes for Shinnosuke-kun… Such great potential he had… Teito sure needed people like him…”

“Aa… not just Teito… Yamazaki didn’t really care about Teito…”

”Sou desu…”

The two men fell silent. They didn’t know anything else to do but keep on walking. Somehow, the sadness in their hearts only intensified. But that was just to make up for the unfeeling surrounding them – the happy ignorance.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kaede sat in the chilled room, turning the pages carefully one by one. There were walls of books in this library, books she had never heard of. ‘This is the place… where Shinnosuke-niisan said he found some peace…’

She was in the Kobe home of Hasokawa Miroku, a researcher who was declared missing and probably dead. The searches gave up too early, but no one was in a rush to find her anyways. Her property became under government control and was to be torn down soon. Hanakoji had her sister go there and see if Hasokawa had left anything behind, for it was him who had spoken to her last and she had hinted that she had something to give him. But when they got there, they found a vast library of ancient texts, manuscripts, and artwork. Hasokawa had also written her own analysis of these works, which the public had never seen. The Fujieda sisters were now faced with a dilemma, what were they going to do with all this?

‘All of these wonderful things were hidden… I wonder why…?’ Kaede thought, looking at a faded drawing of what was called the “land of the dead”. She then heard the grandfather clock chime. ‘Oh! It’s midnight… it’s that late already!’

She put the book down and went down the spiral staircase. She entered the hall and went up another stairs to the room where they were staying. The other bedroom, which they presume was Yamazaki’s, had been flooded by a leak in the ceiling. So, Kaede and her sister had been sharing what was believed to be Hasokawa’s room.

‘It’s such a quiet house… with a beautiful view of the sea… And so many interesting books and lovely artifacts… I hope Neesan can find her peace here as well…’

Kaede thought back when her sister was in the hospital. How she found her gripping the reading glasses in her hand. << “NEESAN, DAME DESU!!” >> The blood dripped down from the clenched hand as Ayame stared off into space, tears running down her face.

‘Up until now… I had never seen my sister cry…’ she sighed, opening the door. There was a draft because the window had been left open. But there was no one lying in the bed. ‘Neesan… where did you go…?’

It took some time, but Kaede found Ayame sitting by the shore. She had walked down there barefoot and was gazing out to sea. “Neesan, what are you doing?” Kaede cried, running over to her, “Come inside, it’s cold… You’ll get sick…”

“Do you think I care…” was the response. Ayame’s hair was down and flying in the wind. She just sat on the rocks, hugging her knees, tears still in the corners of her eyes. “Please… just leave me alone…”

“Neesan…” Kaede knelt down beside her, and even when she turned away, Kaede took hold of her hand. “Do you remember… when our parents died…? I cried and cried, but you wouldn’t leave me alone… After a while, I couldn’t anymore… Even though I wanted to… even though I thought I should, because I loved them very much and to stop mourning their death would be wrong… I couldn’t… because of you… You were there for me. You helped me smile again.”

Ayame held to linked hands to her face. “I cried too… But I wouldn’t let you see me… I remember during that time trying to understand what happened… I didn’t want to think that the people I loved most died for nothing… That’s when I started believing… that Teito… was worth losing your life in protecting… But now… I see where I went wrong… Because… Shinguji-taisa… and Yamazaki-shousa…”

“It wasn’t your fault… You wouldn’t have known…”

”I did know!” she cried, “Yamazaki-shousa told me… He told me over and over… But I… I shut my ears… I didn’t want to admit it… but since the accident, I lost faith in him… I didn’t trust his judgment…”

”Neesan…”

”All he ever asked of me was to love him for what he was… I… I thought I could do it… It was so simple, and yet… I didn’t understand him after all, and secretly, I wanted to change him… Maybe someday, I thought, we can live together in Teito and be the way that I wanted… But that’s selfish isn’t it? I’m really the worse… I really hated him in bringing out that part of me… I hated him in the final moments we were together…”

Kaede leaned in closer, wiping the tears away one by one. “To hear this… makes me sad. I really liked Shinnosuke-niisan… I wanted him to be my brother… I wanted the two of you to work things out… so we could be a family… like old times… Now I know… it was wrong for me to wish for it so strongly… I was only thinking of myself…”

”Hush now,” Ayame replied, trying to gather herself together, “It won’t do if both of us are sad… At the end, yes – I felt angry at him… And perhaps it was this feeling that made this guilt in me intensify… Deep down I really did care for him and I wanted us to be together… I was just too selfish to allow it… But you weren’t thinking about your own happiness, Kaede-san… You did nothing wrong.”

”Then the same goes for you too, Neesan!” Kaede exclaimed, “You weren’t thinking about your safety or your happiness! You were only thinking about Teito! You wanted to save lives… that’s not wrong at all!”

”I know… but…” She lowered her eyes to the shifting waves. “What I lost in the end…” Dipping her fingertips into the cool water, Ayame gazed out to sea. “Yamazaki-shousa… to hear him laugh one more time… to at least say ‘goodbye’… and ‘I’m sorry’… But I don’t deserve to, do I?”

She reached into her sleeve and took out a stack of papers. Kaede blinked at the pile. “Those are… from Shinnosuke-niisan…”

”His written words are all I have left… the photographs… the unfulfilled dreams… But either way, I was going to lose him. I have no one to blame but myself… for taking for granted all his effort, all his love… I took it all for granted!!!”

Ayame crumbled to the ground, sobbing and hugging the pile of letters. Some of them got loose and were carried away in the currents, but Ayame seemed oblivious and couldn’t stop the pain racking her whole body. Kaede watched helplessly, her hands falling to her side.

‘Neesan… someday… that feeling will go away… You will smile again… But for now… It’s okay to cry… It’s okay to feel sad… I will be with you through all of it…’

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

”Teito and its beautiful lights… shined… shined brightly into the night…”

That was the little poem that Ayame had recited as she sipped the small glass of wine, and then knocked it over the balcony and passed out.

‘Idiot…’ thought Yamazaki as he came out of hiding, ‘I think I’ve seen enough…’ But as he approached her, he dropped his arms to his side. ”It annoys me… Watching you like this…” With that, he knelt down and took hold of her wrists and started to drag her inside.

When he got inside, Yoneda was there to yell at him. “What the hell are you doing?! You can’t treat Ayame-kun like that! Be a bit more gentle!”

Yamazaki tilted his head to the side, quite surprised to see him sober. “Gentle??”

”Sou da yo!” Yoneda said, rushing over and kneeling down to the girl, “She might have gotten hurt, no thanks to you.”

”Either way,” Yamazaki said, nudging her head with his foot, “I hope you know this person you’ve elected as my replacement is in love with a married man.”

”EH? Y-You mean… Kazuma…??”

”I kind of overheard their conversation… If she used any more physical language, she would have been on his lap, clinging to his neck. Heh, it seems stupidity comes in all shapes and sizes…”

”Hey! Shut up! I won’t let you talk about Ayame-kun like that!” Yoneda snapped, grabbing him by the collar, “I understand you have issues with people, but don’t take it out on her! You don’t know anything about her!”

Yamazaki looked a bit curious, especially by Yoneda’s seriousness and effort in protecting this girl, who was still under his foot. “And what’s so special about her that you have to go and pull at my shirt like this…?”

”She’s a good kid…” Yoneda replied, carrying her up onto a small bench, “I’ve watched her since she was a little child. Like you, she suffered a devastating loss… but she overcame it and became strong… All she wants to do is protect Teito… Ayame-kun has a caring heart and doesn’t think about herself at all…”

“Then I guess she’s perfect for the job and I don’t have to be here, right?” Yamazaki said, shrugging, “And she must be a perfect match for Taisa, if she all that you say she is. It’s a shame, isn’t it? That someone you praise so highly will be miserable in love.”

”Hey, wait just a minute…!”

“Miserable… Because that feeling is useless… You can’t do anything with it…”

Yoneda watched the bit of sadness pass through the boy’s face as he went to close the doors to the balcony and concentrated on the floor. It was way into the early hours of the morning and neither of them had sleep. The house was still in shambles from the party hours prior and the massive cleanup job awaited them with the rise of the sun.

“Yamazaki…” Yoneda said, backing away to the hall, “I’ll go get some tea. We ought to start cleaning right afterwards. This big mess is driving me crazy…”

”All right, Shirei…” Yamazaki uttered. Yoneda saw him turned towards the sleeping girl, going to put his jacket on her as a blanket. ‘Gently…’ Yamazaki thought, standing there for a moment, his hands in his pockets. ‘Why am I concerned…?’

>> “Yamazaki, come inside…” >>

>> “I don’t want you to get sick or die…”>>

Yamazaki shook his head and sighed. ‘It doesn’t matter… It shouldn’t matter… And yet… maybe, just maybe…’

“Yamazaki,” Yoneda said, wondering what the boy was up to, “Hey… are you coming?”

”Yeah…” Yamazaki replied, still looking down, “I think I’ll stay a little bit longer… I want to see what happens.” He leaned over to Ayame and uttered, “’What’s so wonderful about love?’ - I want to see with my own eyes…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yoneda stood outside the wrecked lot, looking at the place where this scene had taken place… years ago.

‘You saw, didn’t you, Yamazaki…? I’m glad… Still… you were right… That feeling brings overwhelming misery… Because of Love, people give up their senses… give up their lives… and for what?’

He clenched his fists and lowered his eyes to the ground, saying out loud, “The danger is still here… It will always be here… Who will protect Sakura or Teito? Kazuma… Why the hell did you have to die…?!”

No doubt Yamazaki would be quick with a smart-aleck answer. But Yoneda stood there alone and the world around him continued to move on with their lives, no answers coming to him at all.

“For… what…?” he sighed, fighting the tears in his eyes, “For what…?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hanakoji sat watching the clock. ‘Now that the present danger has ended, what should we do now…? The Tai Kouma Butai cannot resemble again, not without leadership like Kazuma-kun’s… not without Shinnosuke-kun’s vision… All of this… it seems like it was for nothing…’

“Hanakoji,” said a voice. He noticed a shadow coming from the corner of the room. “You bastard… No thanks to you…”

”Hah? Aren’t you one of Kanzaki’s scientists??” Hanakoji said, cautiously getting out of his seat and watching the man, who looked a bit unstable. “How did you get in here? What do you want?”

”Because!!” Nomura snapped, taking a gun out of his coat, “I’ve been fired no thanks to you! My spirit cannon is destroyed! The cops are investigating me and my life is as good as over!! It’s no thanks to you!!!”

”It was your own fault,” Hanakoji replied sharply, “You shouldn’t have done those illegal actions in the first place… You ruined people’s lives, because of your greed…”

”SHUT UP!!” the sweaty round man shouted, “I don’t care what happens anymore! That brat, Yamazaki, isn’t here so I have to make someone else pay!!! DIE, YOU DAMNED COUNT!!”

But the bullet that was shot missed because another bullet had been fired and hit Nomura in the throat. He fell onto the Persian rug, bleeding and breathing his last. Hanakoji looked from the bullet hole in the wall not too far from him to the smoking gun coming from near the window.

“Who… Who is it…?” he asked, squinting past the glare from the windows. The dark figure stepped forward. “Shinnosuke-kun…?”

The young man moved with difficulty, a black trench coat on his shoulders as his bandaged limbs hid inside. “Hakushaku…” he uttered, staring at the dead man on the rug, “Is it true…? Is Taisa already dead…?”

”Hai… he died in Sendai.”

”I see…”

”We’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Hanakoji said, trying to get close to the struggling man, “We searched the site over and over and found no sign of you. Everyone thought you were dead.”

”… is better that way.”

“Shinnosuke-kun…?”

”I’m sick… of it all… All those happy people… All those ignorant people… following those bastards… who only think about their power and wealth… They don’t give a damn about us… We were just tools… Tools to use, to throw away when you’re done… Taisa didn’t have to die… We could’ve regrouped, retreated and came back with a plan… used our heads… something, anything but give in… In the end, they just left us there!! Left there to die! AND FOR WHAT?! Nothing changed from Taisa’s actions… It did NOTHING at all!”

Hanakoji watched as he broke down in tears, dropping the gun onto the floor and stumbling across the room. “A lot has happened… Come, rest… Clear your head…”

“No… No more… I… can’t take anymore of it… I won’t take orders ever again… I won’t be someone’s tool… I won’t be used… Not for Teito, or for anyone… Not even for her… I won’t be a scapegoat anymore…”

“Shinnosuke-kun…” Hanakoji said, trying to reach the boy who looked very shakey. “It’s true; the report after the battle was that the mission failed because of you and your interference… I am part to blame for not arguing against it, but it would only caused more division. That we don’t need if we want to prepare for the next Demon war.” He put his hand on Yamazaki’s shoulder and saying softly, “I’m sorry for all the suffering you have gone through. But it doesn’t have to end this way – you can still regain your reputation; I’ll even help. You’ve done so much for us and we need you still. Ayame-kun needs you… So please…”

”I…” Yamazaki’s long hair fell into his blue eyes as he struggled for the words. “I don’t care what happens… I don’t care about anything… anymore…”

“Shinnosuke-kun…”

With that, Yamazaki pulled away and went to the window. With the glass doors open, he disappeared in the next moment. Hanakoji watched with a heavy heart, hearing footsteps coming up to the stairs to check on him.

‘Maybe it was… all for nothing… But, Shinnosuke-kun, I won’t let your vision and effort go to waste. This tragedy to repeat… I won’t allow it… The heart in you might’ve died, but it won’t have done so in vain… Not if I can stand for it…’

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
And so Hanakoji went to work. In time, construction plans for the lot was made and Kanzaki industry started on the blueprints for the prototype of the spirit armor. He didn’t tell anyone about his encounter with Yamazaki, and all believed he was dead and gave up their search.

After getting Yoneda in on the plans for a new National defense against the next demon war, his next sights were turned towards Ayame. The girl had locked herself away from anyone and the only person who actually had contact with her was Kaede. To talk to Ayame, they had to go through Kaede, and Kaede agreed to convince Ayame in taking this job under one condition…

“Masaka…” Ayame uttered when she came outside to see Kaede dressed in military attire, “What is the meaning of this, Kaede-san?”

”From now on, I’ll do my part too,” Kaede said, “I’ll work as hard as you. I’ll protect Teito as well. I won’t let you do it alone!”

“Kaede-san…” Ayame said, as they took her luggage and helped load it into the car, “I don’t know about this…”

Yoneda opened the door for her and they all went in. He signaled the driver to go. “Ayame-kun, you must. Yamazaki wouldn’t have trusted anyone else on this job, but you.”

”Besides,” Kaede noted, “How can you say that Teito is the greatest city if you’ve never been anywhere else!”

Ayame nodded slowly. ‘It would be nice to have a different scenery for once… But this job… to be an international ambassador for the National defense program… the job Yamazaki-shousa wanted so badly… can I really do it…?’

She then felt a hand on hers. She saw Kaede’s encouraging face.

‘Yes… I can do it… Because… there are still people who are counting on me…’

* * * * * * * * * * *
The steam whistle blew loudly. Ayame lifted her head and stared up at the large steam ship that was waiting for her, her white dress flowing in the wind and her hair falling into her eyes.

‘I cannot cry right now because everyone supporting me… I’m so sorry, Yamazaki-shousa… I cannot mourn for you anymore… I have to keep moving forward… otherwise I would not be able to live…’

“Neesan, I’ll miss you!” Kaede said, hugging her, “Please take care of yourself!”

”H-Hai… I will… You too, Kaede-san.”

Kaede pouted a bit. ”Please don’t say it like that! You look so sad… I don’t want to remember you like this!”

Yoneda patted her on the shoulder. “Cheer up, Ayame-kun! We’ll all see each other again! Besides, you have an opportunity of a lifetime… To see the world like this… You’re one lucky girl!”

”Right…” Ayame uttered, lowering her head to look into the water, at the reflection of herself, “An opportunity of a lifetime… To get away from Teito… Maybe… I might even fall in love again…”

“EH?!” Kaede and Yoneda both went pale, “W-What did you say…?????”

Ayame slowly lifted her head, smiling. “Just kidding.” It took them a moment to relax, but when they did they both were overjoyed that Ayame’s smile had returned.

After saying their goodbyes once again, Ayame went into the boat and watched them from the deck. Watched Teito. The wind was blowing hard and the sun shining brightly as the steam whistle blew once more.

“Goodbye, Neesan!!!” Kaede cried, waving her hand, “Don’t forget to write!” She saw Yoneda salute and did the same. ‘Neesan, don’t forget about me…’

Ayame watched as they grew further and further apart. When it became too far to see, she switched her vision up. Up to the dome of blue above her.

‘No matter how far I go… Not even when I close my eyes… It’s still there… The warmth that surrounded me, the deep blue that lovingly watches over me… It is in Teito and everywhere I go… It will be with me always…’

Ayame leaned against the railing, her heart ready to burst. But instead of crying, she smiled. She smiled for all the happy moments and the sad moments that happened in that time, that time that seemed so far away now.

‘Yamazaki Shinnosuke-shousa… I’m glad to have met you… But this is goodbye… Finally I can say it… I will always remember you… I will always feel you around me… You are… My blue sky…’

FIN

thank you for reading. ^_^
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